Another weekend, another national record for Denzel Phillips – and this one comes with World Junior Championship qualification. The 18-year-old Jamaica College student, a transfer from St Mary’s College in Saint Lucia, threw 56.78m (over 186 feet) on Saturday, February 14, to win the King of the Ring Under-20 men’s discus throw at Excelsior High School in Kingston, Jamaica.
Phillips significantly bettered his previous best with the 1.75-kilogramme implement, 52.53m from February 28, 2025, at the Jamaica Athletics Association’s CARIFTA Trials. His first attempt went 53.49m for the lead, followed by two fouls. Calabar’s Kamari Kennedy took the lead with 56.72m, and Kingston College’s Daijon Budhai threw 55.24m to take over second place.
Then came the record throw, which edged above Kennedy, followed by two more fouls. But the job was done.
Phillips is now the first Saint Lucian ever to qualify for the World Junior Championships in his event. As of Monday morning, February 16, he would be second on the World Athletics top list, behind only Jamaica’s Joseph Salmon.
Phillips, who trains with coach Rajive Ford, will try to become the first Saint Lucian to win an Under-20 discus throw medal at the CARIFTA Games in Grenada this Easter. He will also be making travel plans for Tracktown USA, as he will line up against some of the world’s best junior throwers this August at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus.
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